Numerous devices have been heretofore designed for the purpose of unloading of a boat onto the top of a vehicle and unloading a boat from the top of a vehicle. Many of these devices have included elongated support arm structures pivotally supported from the associated vehicle at their base ends and adapted for releasable engagement with an associated boat at the free ends. Examples of these prior structures may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,584,163 to H. F. Squires, dated Feb. 5, 1952; U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,326 to A. M. Conroy, dated Nov. 1, 1955; U.S. Pat. No. 2,753,063 to W. T. Abel, dated July 3, 1956; U.S. Pat. No. 2,985,327 to C. R. Gilkison, dated May 23, 1961; U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,970 to F. J. Sutton, dated Apr. 1, 1969; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,314 to Eugene L. Cooper, dated Oct. 12, 1971.
While each of these previous devices are fully capable of assisting a boat onto the top of a vehicle and assisting the unloading of a boat from the top of the vehicle, some use support arms which are so long as to prevent their use if the space behind the associated vehicle is limited and others require considerable actuating structure or are so constructed as to place undue stresses upon the boat being loaded onto or unloaded from the associated vehicle.
The boat loading and unloading apparatus of the incident invention utilizes a somewhat conventional pivotally mounted elongated support arm. However, the length of the support arm and the elevation of its pivotal attachment relative to the associated vehicle is such as to limit the space rearward of the associated vehicle required during the boat loading and unloading process. Also, the length of the support arm structure and the height of its pivotal attachment to the associated vehicle enables the associated boat to be mounted onto the vehicle and unloaded from the vehicle in a manner which does not place undue stresses upon the boat. Still further, the boat loading apparatus of the instant invention is constructed in such a manner that only one person is needed to accomplish a boat loading or boat unloading operation.
The main object of this invention is to provide a boat loading device specifically designed for use in conjunction with high top vehicles and which will enable a single person to efficiently load a boat onto or unload a boat from a high top vehicle.
Another object of this invention in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a boat loading apparatus which will lessen the space requirements usually associated with similar boat loading devices.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a boat loading apparatus which will be effective in loading and unloading a boat in a manner such as undue stresses will not be placed upon the associated boat or the boat loading device.
A final object of this invention to be specially enumerated herein is to provide a boat loading device in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to sue so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.